Literary fiction, Romantasy & a retelling of the hit musical Grease
October Reading Report
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I thought my brain was broken and unable to listen to audiobooks anymore, but I listened to three fabulous books in October. I can’t wait to tell you about them—plus six other titles—so let’s dive right in!
Romance
You’re the Duke That I Want by Leonora Bell (out 12/26). Grease was one of my favorite movie musicals when I was a kid, so when I heard that Leonora Bell was writing a historical romance novel inspired by Grease featuring a heroine named Sandrine who falls for the Duke of RYDELL (!!!) I squealed. Bell often writes movie-infused historicals (like What a Difference a Duke Makes and its nods to Mary Poppins), and I recommend her work to Tessa Dare fans because of the cheeky humor and un-seriousness of it all. You’re the Duke That I Want was a little too much, even for me. I love a fun, silly romance novel—but this verged almost into campy territory. I wanted a little more distinction between the main characters and their movie counterparts, but I enjoyed seeing how Bell took famous Grease scenes and turned them in a Regency tale that (mostly) made sense. She also teed up the next book in her movie musical series with hints at Mamma Mia.
You, with a View by Jessica Joyce. I listened to this high school rivals turned lovers romance, narrated by Karla Garcia. It’s perfect for fans of Emily Henry, but especially Beach Read. Noelle Shepard is an unemployed photographer in the throes of grief. With nothing to lose, Noelle decides to travel a route her grandma was going to take on her honeymoon before that engagement fell apart. In a series of serendipitous events, her academic arch-nemesis Theo and his grandfather Paul join her on a journey through stunning National Parks. Along the way, Noelle and Theo fall for each other, but they also walk through grief and sort out complicated feelings about their futures.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. I devoured this audiobook in one day, thanks to narration by Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk, but I believe I would adore this novel just as much on the page. Bereft after her brother leaves to fight in the war between the gods, Iris Winnow throws herself into work, seeking a promotion at the Oath Gazette. During the day, she clashes with her insufferable competitor Roman Kitt; at night, she writes letters to her brother and slips them under the closet door. One day, someone writes a letter back. With the help of a magical typewriter, the letters follow Iris from the buzzing newsroom to the front lines of a bloody war, where she discovers love, friendship, and found family.
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft (out 1/2/24). This romantic Regency-inspired fantasy novel reminded me of the books I loved as a kid by Shannon Hale or Gail Carson Levine. The story follows a dressmaker named Niamh who travels to Avaland by request of the king. Despite her country’s complicated history with Avaland, Niamh can’t refuse this incredible opportunity to display her work and take care of her family, so she enters the palace and begins embroidering magical wedding garments for the prince, Kit Carmine. Kit is the grumpy to Niamh’s sunshine, but I never fully came around to liking him by the end of the book, and that’s a big disappointment for me because I really liked the magic and world building in this YA fantasy.
Short Reads
Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat. I’m so glad I read this book, even if I didn’t like it all that much. This Iranian classic in translation provided excellent book club material for the Novel Pairings Patreon crew, and
and I were able to make some sense of it in our episode discussion. If you’re intrigued by weird, claustrophobic, dark, Poe-like books (think Mona Awad), then this novella might be worth picking up. The narrator will take you through a vivid fever dream full of self-doubt, opium, and murder.Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls. Speaking of weird little books, I had a great time with this one about a desperate housewife who falls in love with a giant green amphibious man. That’s all I really want to say about it—it’s more fun to read if you only know the premise going in!
“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf. It’s been a long time since I read this iconic essay in its entirety, but I’m really glad I did before we jump into To the Lighthouse for Classics Club. Some of Woolf’s winding, stream-of-consciousness musings on creativity, class, and writing as a woman are surprisingly timely. I found myself admiring the form even more than the content of her essay, which is a classic modernist reading if ever the was one. We’ll discuss “A Room of One’s Own” on the podcast on November 14th, and you don’t need to read it in order to listen to the episode. Subscribe to Novel Pairings in your podcast app so you don’t miss it!
Literary Fiction
Disoriental by Negar Djavadi. What a stunning debut novel. I can’t believe how much Djavadi accomplishes here! A National Book Award finalist, Albertine Prize winner, and Lambda Award winner, this swirling, sweeping novel in translation trails Kimiâ’s wandering thoughts as she sits in a fertility clinic waiting room and narrates stories from her family’s past. Her stories span centuries and detail entire regimes of Iranian history, but her close first person voice keeps the reader from getting too lost as she jumps from past to present, and from one character to another. I hope more readers will pick up this impressive feat of a semi-biographical story with themes of exile, sexuality, colonization, and identity.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Who doesn’t love James McBride? His latest novel won the Kirkus Prize, deservedly so. It opens with a mystery and winds its way through the Chicken Hill neighborhood in Pottstown, PA with tenderness and social commentary. McBride writes of survival, friendship, community, and the American Experiment in perfect prose.
What was the best book you read in October?
ICYMI: October Substack Review
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I have yet to put together my October reading recap, but the best book I read in October was The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I'm working on a reading project where I read a book published each year of my life, and this was my 1989 selection. I loved it, and chased it with the movie, which was also great!
The Bell sounds moderately bonkers and I think I need to read it? I also read and quite liked Divine Rivals in October--as soon as I finished, I *immediately* went looking for the sequel's release date.